Advice for changing schools: ‘Don’t be scared’

When parents at 23 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago learned that their schools would close at the end of the year, it didn’t take long for many of them to look for other options. Some of them showed up on the doorstep of St. Bede the Venerable School on the Southwest Side on Feb. 24, before the closings had been formally announced, said Rick Guerin, St. Bede’s principal.

“They were lined up outside my door,” said Guerin, whose school has previous experience welcoming students from schools that have been closed. “I told them we’d do whatever it takes.”

St. Bede students and parents who once attended St. Denis School, also on the Southwest Side, share their experiences on a DVD provided to families whose schools are closing this year.

Among those interviewed are fifth-graders Nayla Jimenez and Alexis Moreno, both 10. The girls were in second grade and preparing for First Communion when they learned their school would close; when they started third grade, they had traded their green-and white St. Denis uniforms for the blue of St. Bede (that was a positive for Alexis, because she said blue is her favorite color.)

But not everything has changed. Alexis still worships at St. Denis with her family; Nayla and her family attend Providence of God Parish in Pilsen. Still, they enjoy the opportunity to attend Mass at school with their classmates.

Alexis had an older brother at St. Bede for one year before he graduated; Nayla will have a younger brother in preschool there next year. Both girls have reassuring words for the more than 4,100 students who will be forced to change schools next year.

The girls took a break from their English class to talk with staff writer Michelle Martin.



The Catholic New World: How did you feel when you were in the second grade and found out St. Denis was going to close?

Alexis: I was sad, because I didn’t know if the new school I was going to was going to be good, or how nice the teachers were or how nice the principal was.

My mom used to be a teacher’s aide at St. Denis, so she was always there. It was nice.

Nayla: I was sad, because I didn’t know where I was going to be sent to or how I was going to be treated.



TCNW: How long was it before you found out you were coming to St. Bede?

Nayla: It was only a couple of weeks.



TCNW: What was your first day at St. Bede like?

Alexis: It was good, because I felt like I made a few friends already. I thought it was going to be hard, but it was easy because everyone was so nice.

Nayla: I felt very happy, because some of my other friends from St. Denis came here. And the other kids were nice to us.



TCNW: What do you like about St. Bede now?

Alexis: The teachers are good, and they explain very good.

Nayla: The teachers … and we have a very good principal. He’s concerned about his students.



TCNW: How do you know that?

Nayla: He always comes around to our classes and reads us stories. He knows all of us.

TCNW: What have your parents told you about why they sent you to another Catholic school after St. Denis closed?

Nayla: My mom used to go to a public school, and she did not like it, so she didn’t want me to go to a public school.

Alexis: It might be safer, and we could learn about God and religion and say prayers in school.



TCNW: I have a little girl going into second grade whose school is closing, and she’ll have to go to a new school next year. What would you tell her?

Alexis: Don’t be scared, because making friends is really easy.

Nayla: Maybe some of your friends from your old school will still come around for a bit and play with you.



TCNW: Because so many Catholic schools are closing this year, you will probably have some new kids next year. How will you treat them?

Alexis: When I came here, everyone was nice to me, and I’m going to be nice to them, too.

Nayla: I will treat them very, very nice, because I know how it feels to be new.

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